Despair and Atrocity
by iShoutacake
Summary: Oh, she would defiantly get it when he was out of this place. He'd make her eat those words
1. So It Starts

She pressed her forehead against the cool, hard, tile of the shower wall. Scalding hot water beat against her bruised and battered form, slowly working the tension from her muscles. Reaching her arm out, she took her pouf, and then recoiled her arm and squeezed honey scented body wash onto it. For a moment she contemplated staying pressed against the wall while she washed, but then she pulled away. A soft groan came out from between her lips, and her brow knitted as she started to scrub away the dirt and grime from her body. Being on a mission for most of the week, she was utterly exhausted, and the only thing she got for her hard work was a dead end.

She ran long fingers through her tangled mane of pink hair, and narrowed her eyes at the thought of her failed mission.

"Sakura, I have a mission for you." A blonde said from behind a large desk. Her painted fingernails tapped repeatedly against the desktop, and her other hand cupped her face in it. The blonde's brows were knitted together in frustration, and her full red lips drooped in a scowl.

"_Oh?" The girl, Sakura, said turning around just as she pushed a book back into its place on the shelf. Balancing the remaining books in the crook of her arm, she then pushed vivid pink strands of hair behind her ear. "What is it, Tsunade-shishou?"_

_Tsunade sighed, and then stopped tapping her fingers. "Set the books down and take a seat, would you?"_

_Sakura quickly complied, and sat down, crossing her legs. Normally Tsunade would just get to it, so it was odd to her that she would ask her to sit._

"_Well, the thing is, Sakura…" She trailed off for the moment, but then started again. "An ANBU squad that I sent out a few months ago to track Uchiha Sasuke, came back to the village last night."_

_At the name Tsunade mentioned, Sakura visibly stiffened. "S-sasuke?" She asked, and was met with a nod. "What did they say?"_

_"Well, they lost sight of him, Sakura, but this is where you come in. The ANBU team came back with various leads as to his whereabouts. What I would like you to do is go and check them out. If you find something promising about it, then I want you to send back a letter. Then I want you to keep tracking it until the ANBU squad comes to meet you. From there, I would like you to come back to the village." Tsunade said, and looked down at her hands, which were now neatly folded in her lap._

Sakura had hesitantly accepted the mission, and then she set out, only to be met with failure. She followed every lead, even ones that were not on the list, but every time she thought she was close to finding him, every time she really thought she was close to something real, it eluded her. And now she was back in the village, feeling like the useless little girl she had been when she was 12 once again.

Her hand curled into a fist, and then she smashed it up against the wall. "Damn it!" She swore, and then tore her hand away from the wall. Two or three tiles had been unlucky enough to face her wrath, and they were obliterated into dust. Grumbling angrily she ripped the shower curtain out of her way, then grabbed a towel off the hook on the wall. With deft fingers she tied it around her lithe frame tightly. She wasted no time in wiping the fog from the mirror, and switching the fan so that the hot air filtered out. Peering at herself for a short moment, she then turned away. She picked up her brush then, and began ripping it through her locks. For a long time she had kept it short, just brushing past her chin, but now it was long once more. It hung just underneath her shoulder blades, and like her teacher, she kept it in twin ponytails. The only difference was that she kept it braided rather than just plain.

Once finished with her hair, Sakura left the bathroom to go into her room; the second she opened the door she froze in place. The window hadn't been open when she came home, had it?

Her bright viridian eyes narrowed into thin slits, and she began to inch her way toward her dresser; she always kept a kunai or two in her memory box. Flipping the lid open she stuck her hand deeply into the box, but she didn't even get a grip on the kunai before a soft familiar voice spoke into her ear.

"Relax, Sakura, it's just me." She let out a deep sigh, and retracted her hand from the box. From there, she turned around on her heel to be met with a masked face; her teacher's to be exact.

"Don't scare me like that Kakashi-sensai, I was ready to kill you." Sakura said smiling at the man.

"Well, I didn't mean to." He shrugged his shoulders, then weaved around her to sit on the edge of her bed.

Sakura simply rolled her eyes at her teacher. "So, what are you doing here so early in the morning?" She asked, rummaging through her dresser for an outfit to throw on, as she did so she threw a sideways glance at the clock that sat on her side table. It was 3:42 a.m. '_Yeah, no, seriously, what is he doing over here?_' She thought, and quirked a brow.

"I wanted to see how your mission went." Kakashi explained, almost too quickly. She could hear the hidden meaning in his words. What he really meant to say was, 'Oh, I came over Sakura, because I wanted to make sure you were still sane.' Yeah, that was pretty much what he wanted to know.

Carefully arranging her face, she turned to him and gave a smile. "It didn't go as planned, none of the leads I was following turned up anything." Turning back to her dresser, she finally settled on a red t-shirt, and a pair or black shorts that reached her mid-thigh. Tugging them out, she strode over to her changing screen. Disappearing behind it, she slipped off the towel and threw it over the top, and then she pulled on her clothes. Not even a minute had passed before she was back out in front of her teacher.

"So,' Kakashi began, and his eyes shifted back toward the window. Mentally Sakura grimaced; he was going to start questioning her sanity now. 'how are you feeling?"

Her lips pressed into a firm line and she shook her head. "I appreciate your concern, Kakashi, I really do, but I am perfectly fine. I'm sane, and I'm not going to get all depressed. So, I don't think we need to discuss this." Sakura turned so that her back was to him, and she went to her dresser again. With quick fingers she pulled her hair into twin braids.

Kakashi looked over her skeptically, but then he shook his head. He knew better than to believe what she said when it came to Sasuke. Chances were, she was deeply upset, or really, really pissed off. Standing up he walked to her, then casually slung an arm around her shoulders. "Alright, if that's really how you feel, Sakura. But remember, I'm still here for you." Inclining his head toward hers, he pressed a kiss on her temple.

In all the years of being her teacher, he'd come to see Sakura as the daughter he never had. And Naruto and Sasuke were just like sons. It pained him greatly when Sasuke had disappeared, and when Naruto went off to train for years at a time; but what hurt him the most was Sakura's pain, and the way she masked it with fake happiness. He knew that every time he or Naruto left, even for a little while, it tore her into pieces.

Sakura gazed up at her teacher, biting her lip. "I know, thank you." Twisting in place, she wrapped her arms around his torso, and she pressed her face into his shoulder. She let out a soft exhausted sigh, then she pulled away. "I'll see you later on?"

His lips curled into a smile behind the fabric of his mask. "Of course."

Sakura returned his smile easily, then she clambered over to her bed. She didn't even see Kakashi disappear through the window, because as soon as she touched the bed exhaustion took over and she passed out instantaneously.

__

It was only a few hours that Sakura was able to sleep, because around 5:30 the pounding of a fist on her front door woke her up. She groaned, and thought that she might just continue to sleep, but the sound was too annoying to bear, so she got up. Her hands gripped her fluffy white comforter, and held it around her body like a carefully crafted cocoon. Sliding off the edge of the bed, she slowly made her way out of the room. Steadily the pounding got louder and more agitated, and soon there was a voice that joined it.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! I know you're home! Open the door!" It was a loud boisterous voice that she would be able to pick out in a crowd; anywhere she was, no matter how crowded it was. Inwardly she smiled, even though it was annoying that he came so early to wake her, it was so nice to hear his voice again, to know that he was all right.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming, Naruto, just hold your horses." She said, rolling her eyes as she reached out from her cocoon to open up the door. Just as she did so, it flung open, and Naruto practically threw her to the ground in a tight embrace.

"Sakura-chan, I missed you!" He said into her shoulder, then he looked up at her. His bright blue eyes shimmered at her in happiness, and then he pulled away from her, only to pick her up and carry her over to the couch where he plopped down with her on his lap. Anyone who didn't know them would have seen the action as romantic, and would have thought they were involved with one another.

"How was the mission?" Naruto asked, his voice sounding genuinely interested in what happened, rather than interested in her sanity as Kakashi had been just hours earlier.

Sakura righted herself so that she was more comfortable in his lap, then she parted her lips to speak. "Uh, well, I didn't really find anything. Every lead was a dead end, so basically the mission was a fluke, a failure." Her shoulders lifted then dropped again in a shrug. Sakura shifted her gaze away from Naruto, and she just starred at the floor. "I'm sorry that I couldn't find anything. I know everyone was really counting on me to pick up…" She hesitated at his name. "_His_ trail." Sakura settled for, biting her lip.

Naruto's gaze down turned and his fingers run through his spiky blonde locks. "You tried, that's all that matters, you didn't have to prove anything to anyone." He tried, hoping he would be able to comfort her.

"But I did, Naruto, you have no idea. I wanted to prove so badly, to everyone, especially myself, that I wasn't weak anymore, that I would be able to, to easily find him. I wanted to prove I was strong enough to bring him home." She felt tears stinging at her eyes, trying forcefully to come falling, but she held them. "Naruto, I just want him back." Sakura finally admitted, then slumped into his shoulder, her eyes squeezing shut.

Naruto's brows came together, and her wrapped an arm around her shoulders. His thumb moved back and fourth in an effort to soothe her, and he pressed his lips against her forehead. "It's alright, Sakura, I'm here for you. You know that."

Freeing a hand from her blanket, she took a hold on his sleeve, and she pulled him a little closer. "Naruto, promise me something? Promise if you leave me, that you'll always come back, no matter what." She asked, her voice so small and weak.

"I would never even think about letting you get hurt that way again, ever, I promise Sakura." Naruto tightened his grip on her for a brief moment, then he slowly pulled back. "Are you going to be alright?" When he felt her nod, he moved fully away, then he put on a bright smile. "So, Tsunade sent me here to get you. She wants us for a mission."

Sakura frowned. "Another one so soon?" She asked, almost annoyed at the prospect.

"Aa, she told me that it's just a short escort mission, so it shouldn't take more than a day or two." Naruto replied, standing up from his seat. "And the sooner we get there, the sooner it'll be over with." A smile spread itself onto his lips again.

"I guess you're right about that." Sakura agreed before lifting from her own spot. She still kept her blanket wrapped around herself, holding it like it was an impenetrable barrier against the cold. "I'll be right back, I'm going to change, and then we can get going." Slowly she trudged across the living room to the door that led to her bedroom.

Once she was in, she pushed the door shut, then she let her cocoon fall to the floor in a fluffy heap. Lifting one foot at a time, she stepped out of the circle. Now that it was out of the way she wasn't walking as slow as a turtle, and she was able to access her dresser without it obstructing her.

Tucking her fingers underneath the handles, she tugged a drawer open and peered in. Inside there were multiple tops that were the same, along with pants that followed the same pattern. She didn't need to think about what she had to wear, she just grabbed the two garments that were closest to the top and took them out. The top was red, just as all of her shirts had always been, though now it was in a different style. It hung off her shoulders, giving people the pleasure of viewing her skin that was normally hidden, and the sleeves reached just to her elbows. Underneath she wore a mesh top that was sleeveless. As for her bottoms, she had black skintight shorts that reached half down her thigh. On a belt she wore multiple packs that held her kunai, shurikin, paper bombs, the usual weapons ninja chose to carry on their person at any given time. Along with her shorts she also had clean white bandages that reached just below her knees. Her foot and hand wear had not changed; she still wore her gloves and her heeled boots.

Easily she slipped into the formfitting outfit, then she opened the door. Naruto stood off to the side, leaning casually against the doorframe. A smug little smile appeared on his lips when we saw her emerge from the bedroom. "Okay, ready?"

Sakura easily returned the smile, and nodded. Her fingers were then tangled in her tresses, re-braiding it as she walked out of the house. Naruto shut the door behind them, and then in a flash they were gone.

__

"Sakura, Naruto, as I'm sure you're well aware, I've called you here today for a mission." Tsunade started off, tapping a thick stack of papers against the table to make them even. Her lips hung in a scowl, as they always did, and her brows were furrowed as if she were frustrated. "What you need to do is simple. Meet the client at the front gate, and escort him to Mist. He is needed to make repairs on the bridge, and reportedly there are some who don't want him to do it." The blonde explained and clasped her hands together. "Once he's finished, take him home, then return to the village with a full report. It should only take a day or two, three tops if you run into trouble. Alright?" The pair nodded in understanding. "Good, now get going, he's waiting for you."

"Right!" They said in unison, and left the room.

It took them all but a few minutes to reach the village gates, and upon arriving, they were a little surprised. An older man stood, with a boy who looked a bit younger than they were. His skin was tanned, and his grayed hair splayed out in a messy style of spikes. His straw hat was cocked backward, revealing a pair of turned down brows that made his hard features seem angry. He had facial hair the same shade of that atop his head. In his hand he gripped a bottle of sake.

The boy he had with him had longish black-brown hair that stuck out in multiple spikes. He had dark, soft eyes, which looked like they belonged to an innocent child rather than a mature teenager. His outfit was very ordinary, with the exception of his white and blue striped hat.

Sakura quirked a brow and opened her mouth to speak, but Naruto beat her to the punch. "Tazuna? And Inari!" He exclaimed rather loudly, and rushed forward. The younger one looked up and smiled, catching Naruto in a high five. Then at the same time, their faces broke out into huge smiles. "Wow! It's been such a long time. How've you guys been?" He asked enthusiastically, and dropped his arm at his side.

The boy who'd given Naruto the slap on the hand was the one who responded. "You have no idea." He started and gave a soft laugh. "We've been really good, I'm a bridge builder like Grandpa Tazuna now." Inari gave a glance at the old man, and then he laughed again. "What about you and your team, Naruto?" He asked, then he looked around, right away he saw Sakura, who he very noticeably checked out and then blushed a deep pink, but as he looked around further his face seemed puzzled. Looking back to Naruto, he quirked a brow worriedly. "Where's the rest of your team? Kakashi-san, and Sasuke?"

Naruto's bright features immediately dimmed and then he looked away to Sakura who looked visibly shaken. His lips parted once, twice, but he couldn't find the words. So it was Sakura who answered this time. "Kakashi-sensai is perfectly fine, he's just not joining the mission this time. He's in good health." She smiled as she thought of her teacher who she had just seen hours earlier, but the smile disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. "And Sasuke,' she almost choked on his name, 'defected from the village seven years ago." The pinkette finished, then her lips pressed into a thin line. From his spot, Naruto turned and offered a hand, she readily accepted and was then at his side.

"Oh, I'm so, so sorry to hear that you two." Inari said, and took a step back with his head hung low. After a second, he looked up at Tazuna, who simply shook his head.

"I'm sorry, too, guys. I never would have guessed that, that kid would do that. He was so determined, not to mention strong. He was a good kid." Tazuna was silent for a moment, then he cleared his throat. "Anyway, let's get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

Sakura nodded in agreement, and with a tug on Naruto's hand, they began to walk.

__

"Sakura? Hey, is any one in there?" A voice asked, and a hand was waved in the pinkette's face.

She'd been in deep thought, and she hadn't heard anyone speak to her, so when the hand came into her line of vision, she was startled. "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, I was distracted. What did you say?" She asked, and looked up to see Inari walking close at her side.

He chuckled loudly at her, then he smiled widely. "That's okay, um, I was just commenting on how much you've changed. You're totally different from when I saw you last."

Sakura returned the smile with a shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah, you could say that. I mean, before I wore that awful dress,' she laughed at the thought of the red and white dress, 'my hair was longer back then too." Saying that, she grabbed on of her braids and examined it idly before she let it fall back into place on her shoulder. Looking up from her locks, she gazed at Inari. His once soft and childish face was now hardened and matured. He was much taller too; even taller than she, which slightly irritated her considering she was a few years older. But all in all, he had grown into a handsome teen.

Inari's face reddened when he saw Sakura's bright orbs flick over his body a few times. "You've gotten really pretty." He said finally, then turned away to stare at his feet, his face staying beet red.

Sakura bit her lip to hold back a laugh, but it didn't work quite the way she planned, because a peal of laughter emerged from her mouth. "Ah, aha, thank you, Inari, that's really very sweet of you to say." She thanked him and reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The younger boy just nodded, not being able to find the words he wanted to say.

For the next few moments all was quite, until Inari let out a loud yelp, followed by Naruto's boisterous laughter. "So, you're trying to move in on _my _Sakura? Inari, I'm hurt. I thought we were friends."

Inari looked up at the blonde, clearly flustered. "Uh! Oh, no, no! Not at all Naruto, I was, we just,' he fumbled over her words, then blurted something out that sounded near gibberish, 'I'msorryIdidn'tknowyoutwowereinvolved, I'msososorry!"

Naruto looked at the boy intensely before he began laughing once again. "Nah, I'm just messing with you. Feel free to go for it. Just don't hurt her if you're able to charm her." Her grinned widely at him, then he glanced at the pinkette who was absorbed with a conversation with Tazuna. "She's really special to me, I couldn't bear to see her get hurt again." Naruto turned back to Inari and his grin weakened. "When Sasuke left, Sakura was heart broken… She may not look it, but she's very fragile."

Inari's eyes widened at Naruto's words and then he looked back over at the girl he'd been flirting with. Naruto wasn't lying when he said she didn't look fragile. In fact, she looked stronger than any other girl he knew. And from the talk he'd heard about her, stories of her amazing strength, he knew that behind her small frame, there was the strength of more than ten men, even with out her chakra fueling it. "Well, I can tell you one thing, if I do get her, which I'm not sure that I can because she's amazing, I'll take the best care of her." He smiled sheepishly, and then he looked forward on the road.

"That's the kind of talk I like to hear!" Naruto slapped Inari on the back again, and in return the boy yelped.

__

"Alright, Inari, Tazuna, now that we're out of close vicinity with the village, it's going to start getting dangerous from here on out. So, stay close to Naruto and me. If there's any trouble, then just try and keep yourselves safe. Alright?" Sakura asked, and swept her eyes over the two.

They nodded in response then fell back behind Naruto who would be in the lead. Sakura herself would fall in behind them, and protect them from the rear. Getting in position, she looked to Naruto who waved his hand, signaling for everyone to get moving, which they did.

Sakura's brow knitted in slight annoyance at their pace; Tsunade's trait for being impatient had rubbed off on her. She almost had to restrain herself from yelling at them to pick up the pace. Had it only been Naruto and herself, she would have been running as fast as her legs possibly allowed. She had found, when Sasuke left the village, and when Naruto left to train with Jiraya, that running always made her feel better. It made her forget everything that troubled her. And boy had a lot of things been troubling her lately. Gritting her teeth, Sakura shook her head. No, she wasn't going to think about that now. If she did, it could affect her. There could be an enemy ninja hiding in the trees, and if she allowed herself to be distracted by her sad thoughts and memories, it could mean the loss of a life. With a quick shake of her head, she dismissed it then looked forward to focus.

In the time that Sakura had been mentally waging war, she'd fallen a little bit behind; she almost wanted to slap herself. What if something had happened? "Ugh, I'm such an idiot." Rolling her eyes, she jogged to get back into her place, but just as she got there she heard the tell tale 'thwack' of a kunai lodging itself into the wood of a tree. Instantaneously, she crouched into a defensive stance. "Naruto, we've got company." Sakura muttered and zipped open one of the pouches on her hip. Tucking her fingers into it, she plucked out her well-worn gloves, and then in one fluid motion they were secured on her hands.

Naruto's head snapped up as Sakura called to him. His bright cerulean eyes narrowed into thin slits, and they began to dart back and fourth. "How many do you think?" He asked, drawing a kunai. "I see, three."

Her eyes mirrored the blonde's as she swept her eyes over their surroundings. "I have two. So we're dealing with five, maybe more." She concluded, and began to pump chakra into her fists. "Shouldn't be difficult, ne, Naruto?" A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips when her comrade replied with a curt nod. "Go!"

The muscles in her legs tensed, and then she sprang forward, her chakra charged fist thrusting in front of her; it connected with the thick branch of a tree, and it was obliterated. The nin who had thrown the kunai at her fell out of the tree when the ground underneath his feet literally disappeared in a cloud of dust. Having not been ready for it, he could not regain his bearings, and so he fell to the ground with a loud smack. Sakura smiled triumphantly when he tried to get back up, but found that he couldn't do to a broken leg. Refocusing her gaze, she looked ahead to see the familiar gleam of steel wires crisscrossing before her. Glaring at them, she landed on a branch then pushed away from it so that she was thrown backward; then in mid-air she twisted to face the other way. It was then made clear to her that the wires were meant only as a distraction, because when she turned, she was met face to face with a kunoichi who held a circle blade in her hands. On her face was a sinister smirk as she began to slash at Sakura.

Sakura's brows came together in annoyance and concentration as she dodged the cold steel. Thinking quickly, she pumped chakra into her fist once more then she jumped up as the girl swung at her. In the air Sakura twisted her body so she was parallel to the girl and then she grabbed the blade, as it was in mid-swing. From there, gravity brought her back down to the ground, and with her hold on the blade the other kunoichi was thrown across the area. Sakura rolled her eyes at how easy it was to beat the girl, then she glanced down at the weapon in her hands. An idea then popped into her head, and then Sakura adjusted the blade so that she was holding it by the grips. She swung it a few times to get a feel for it, then she took off from the branch she stood upon. From her left she heard a shaking noise, so she turned in that direction; just as she did the last ninja she was looking for jumped out in front of her. He held paper bombs in his hands, but he didn't get a chance to use it before Sakura slashed his body in two with his own teammate's weapon. Sakura sighed once he fell to the forest floor, and then she tossed the circle blade to join him. After doing so, she turned to regroup with Naruto and the others.

Leaping down from the branch she perched on, Sakura landed beside the blonde. "That was so easy,' she commented to him, laughing, 'not at all like when we were genin, ne?" She asked, then looked to Inari and Tazuna. "You two alright?"

Tazuna nodded. "Yeah, so, we ready to head off again?" He asked, sounding almost irritated that they were held up. Sakura and Naruto nodded in unison, and they fell back into their formation.


	2. Nostalgia

After Sakura and Naruto had finished defeating the attacking ninja, all had been quiet and peaceful. Nothing had happened, other than a squabble between Inari and Naruto about who could eat more ramen. At that, Sakura had laughed, and declared that there was no chance in the world that Inari could defeat Naruto.

"I don't know, Sakura, you haven't seen me in a long time. I have the appetite of ten men!" Inari said, and smacked his stomach proudly.

"Men? You mean babies!" Naruto exclaimed back at him, and rolled his eyes. "I totally agree with Sakura-chan though, no one in our whole village could beat me." His mouth widened into a large grin, and then he turned to the pinkette. "Ne, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura glanced toward him with a quirked brow. "Oh? Aren't you forgetting Chouji? He does have quite the appetite." Looking at him expectantly, Sakura pressed her lips into a tight line.

When the name reached Naruto's ears, his tanned face paled slightly. "Oh, Ch-ch-ch-Chouji… You're right. How could I forget?" Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto let out a nervous peal of laughter.

It was almost a frightening thing to think about. How could some one, _anyone_, eat that much food? Sakura shuddered, but then she was startled out of the thought.

"We're finally here!" Tazuna said, his voice loud so that everyone was able to hear what he said. "But, it's beginning to get dark out, so let's head to the house and get refreshed." He offered, pulling ahead of everyone else so that he would be able to lead the way. "Your mother should be home right, Inari?" Tazuna asked his grandson, who nodded in reply.

"Yeah, she usually comes home from work right around now."

A few minutes later, they came upon the small house that Inari and his family lived in. "Mom?" Inari called out, and slipped his shoes off. "Are you home?" He asked, and stepped deeper into the house.

The rest of the group followed in suit, taking their shoes off then venturing into the boy's dwellings. In the air hung the aroma of roast beef, potatoes, and something else that lingered along with it.

Naruto inhaled deeply with a smile on his face. "Oh man, I forgot how good your Mom's cooking is! I can't wait to eat that, it smells so good." Patting his stomach he then let his nose guide him into the kitchen.

"Oh, Inari? Is that you?" A woman's voice then asked, and then the woman appeared from around a corner. In her hands she held a plate that she was drying with a towel. "You're just in time, dinner is just about done." She laughed as she glanced toward Naruto who'd already made himself at home. "But, it looks like some of you already know that. Right, Naruto?" She smiled at him softly then turned back to Inari.

"Right!" He yelled from the kitchen.

Inari laughed sheepishly. "I'm glad you remember them, Mom."

She nodded and smiled. "Of course, how could I forget his bright personality? Or Sakura's pretty pink hair?" She asked, and Sakura felt the need to blush. Then she turned and began walking to the kitchen.

"Thanks Tsunami-san." Sakura said, then moved to follow her, and the rest of the boys.

"So, how was the trip here, Sakura-chan?" Tsunami asked, as she began to prepare everyone's plates.

"Oh, it was quite for the most part. We got attacked once, but it was nothing Naruto and I couldn't handle; just five random shinobi, who I think were just try to make a quick buck. They were sloppy, and they couldn't have been sent by anyone because they would have been much more efficient if that had been the case." Sakura explained with a shrug of her shoulders. "And after that we had it easy. Nothing happened." She finished, leaning back onto her hands. Even though the trip had been short, and the fights totally easy, she was still feeling a bit worn out. After her mission earlier in the week, she'd only gotten to rest a good five or six hours.

"Well, that's good. I'm glad no one was hurt." She said, smiling, and set a plate down in front of Sakura. "But you do look a bit tired." Tsunami noted quirking a brow.

"I had a week long mission before I was told about this. I didn't get much rest." Sakura replied, then took a piece of meat into her mouth.

"I see, well, after eating you should feel better. And then you can get a good night's sleep."

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto suddenly called out, and everyone, except Inari turned to look at him. His hand moved quickly between his plate and mouth, as did Inari's.

"What are you guy's doing?" Tsunami asked, a hint of disgust in her voice.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well, they were arguing about who could eat more on the way here."

"Oh. So it's an eating contest?" Sakura nodded, and then Tsunami laughed. "Reminds me of the first time you all came to help Tazuna. Naruto and Sasuke were so intent on beating each other. They ate so much, and then what did they do? They went and threw it all back up a few minutes later." Tsunami closed her eyes and shook her head, then she opened them again. Upon doing so, she saw Sakura's face dim and look slightly detached. "Sakura? Did I say something to upset you dear?"

Sakura looked up at Tsunami and tried to smile. "No, no. It's just, what you said reminded me of Sasuke."

Tsunami's brows rose up. "I'm sorry. Did he…?" she trailed off.

"No, he didn't die. He, um, defected from the village. About eight years ago." Sakura explained, then pushed her plate away. "Thank you for dinner, Tsunami, but I'm not very hungry anymore. I think I'll head off to bed." Standing up, she nodded at everyone, and then she disappeared upstairs to the guest bedroom.

"Oh my." Tsunami said, pressing a hand to her cheek. "I upset her."

Naruto set down his chopsticks, and looked to Tsunami. "Don't feel bad. She's just a little sensitive about Sasuke." He explained as the woman looked over to him.

"Well, I guess I know why. She always did dote on him." Tsunami's brow knitted then she sighed.

"She'll be fine, don't worry." Naruto tried his best to smile.

__

The air was a thick fog, and the dampened land glittered in the pale moonlight. The only sounds to be heard in the still were the monotonous croaking of a frog, the soft padding of animal feet, and the light easy breathing of a traveling group of shinobi. Each of these shinobi carefully disguised themselves in cloaks black as the night, and they hid their chakra signatures to make sure that any that may be out did not sense them. They also arranged themselves very carefully, a tall man with the palest of skin walked in the front, making him seem that he was the leader, which he was. Behind him there was a slightly shorter man with a giant sword strapped to his back, and to this man's left was a woman. She wore her hood far back, exposing her face for all to see. Splayed across her forehead was fire-red hair that looked bright purple in the moonlight, and she wore eyeglasses; any man would say that she was beautiful. And finally, there was one more man. He was even taller than the man at the front, and he was very wide. Not wide as in fat, but he was extremely muscled. He stayed at the rear, set there to watch everyone's back and protect them from any coming attacks.

A sigh suddenly came from the woman's lips, and then she spoke. "Sasuke-kun~" She said breathily, drawing his name out. "We've been walking forever, can't we just stop for a little while?" The girl whined, still walking as she spoke.

The man on her left spoke up. "Oh what, Karin? Getting tired after just a day of walking?" He sneered and reached up to pull back his hood. In the pale light of the moon his hair glinted bright silver, but it was actually a very light shade of blue. A toothy smirk made itself known on his lips.

The redhead, Karin, turned to glare angrily at the man beside her. "What? You're an idiot! I wasn't talking to you." Karin snarled at him, then she looked back to the man at the front, who was now coming to a stop. "Sasuke?" She asked, puzzled.

"Suigetsu." Sasuke said, turning his head toward him ever so slightly.

"Yes?" The blue haired man replied, turning his gaze from Karin to the brooding man at the front.

"We're going to stop here for the night. Make a round in the area, and make sure there isn't anyone close to the vicinity." He said, then branched off from the group to sit at the base of a large tree.

Suigetsu's smirk disappeared and he scowled. "Make Karin do it." He said, and went to take a seat too. He was cut short when Sasuke looked up at him, his hood now down so that his eyes were visible. They were narrowed into thin slits, and his arms were crossed over his chest.

"I told you to do it." He said after a second.

Suigetsu's brows knitted and he turned to glare at Karin, who just stuck her tongue out at him triumphantly. "Fine, but she's getting the firewood." Straightening up, Suigetsu then disappeared between the trees.

"Fair enough. Karin." Sasuke said, and closed his eyes.

"What?! That's not… ugh, whatever, only because you asked, Sasuke-kun." Karin said, then winked at the onyx haired boy, before she took off to find wood.

Sasuke shook his head in annoyance and then he looked to the other man in the group, who stood quietly to the side. "Juugo." He said, addressing the man.

"Yes, Sasuke?" Juugo responded, pulling his hood back to reveal flame orange hair, and soft, seemingly kind, eyes.

Sasuke's brows knitted together like he was trying to think, then he shook his head again. "Never-mind, it's nothing." Bringing his arms up, he rested them on his knees.

"Alright." Juugo said with a cocked brow, before he sat down. Even as he was sitting, he still looked as if he were a mile tall.

__

Out in the woods, Karin walked around gingerly, looking for what she thought to be suitable firewood. As she did so, she grumbled under her breath. "Just who does, Suigetsu, think he is? Trying to push his chores off on me! It was probably because he doesn't want me to have alone time with my Sasuke-kun. Fucking prick." She growled lowly, and bent down to shove another stick into the pile in her arms.

"Wow, I knew you were crazy, Karin, but I never knew that you talked to your self."

Karin looked up from the stick she was grabbing, and she was met with a mocking toothy smirk. "Why don't you shut your fucking mouth, Suigetsu?" She spat out at him, then she straightened out. Bringing her arm back, she lobbed the stick she held at him. With perfect precision it smashed into his head, though it did not do any damage because as soon as it hit his head burst into water, then it reformed when the stick had passed.

"I'm hurt, Karin." Suigetsu said, as he pressed a hand against his chest theatrically. "I thought we were better friends than that!" He shook his head with his eyes closed, then he opened one to look down at her.

Karin's eye twitched, and then she screamed angrily. "Shut up! You're such a stupid freak, I hate you!" She yelled at him then turned to stomp away. "Why don't you go do what Sasuke asked you, and leave me the hell alone?" Karin fumed as she went on her way.

"I already finished, because I'm not a slow turtle like you!" He let out a loud peal of laughter, and then he stood up from his seat on a high branch of a tree. "And I don't distract myself, by making conversation with people who aren't there." He smirked once again, then he seemingly disappeared into thin air.

Karin bit the inside of her cheek and growled inwardly. "Fucking freak." She mumbled, and then she started back toward the camp. She had enough wood now, and she wasn't about to let Suigetsu have another thing to tease her about.

__

"I'm back Sasuke-kun!" Karin announced loudly as she tossed the wood to the ground so she was freed up to run to the man's side. "I missed you." She whispered in his ear as she crouched down beside him. Lifting a hand from her side, she adjusted her glasses so that they were down away from her eyes. "Did you miss me?" With her other hand, she caressed the plane of skin that peeked through the open shirt he wore.

Sasuke's eyes slipped open, and he glared at Karin pointedly before grabbing her hand and pulling it away from his chest. "No." He answered acidly before forcefully shoving her and her hand away; causing the redhead to tumble backwards onto her backside.

Sasuke groaned when she looked up at him with sad puppy dog eyes, but then he ignored her. Striding over to the pile of wood, he made quick hand-signs. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Inhaling deeply, Sasuke then opened his mouth and expelled a huge fireball. The flame licked at the sticks and logs, and they caught into a roaring fire. His hands dropped down to his sides, then he turned to take a seat once more.

"I'll make dinner, okay, Sasuke?" Karin asked meekly from her spot, then moved to get up, but she was cut short by Sasuke's deep tired voice.

"I'm not in the mood to eat." He said, and brushed the long strands of hair from his face. "So, don't waste your time making any for me."

Karin quirked a brow, and looked at the man who served as her love interest. "Are you all right? Do you feel sick?" She questioned, her voice sounding genuinely concerned.

"It's nothing. Just leave me alone." He hissed back at her, and then he stood from his seat. "I'll be back in a bit." Sasuke said then disappeared.

The redhead's mouth hung open agape, then she turned to look at her teammates. "He's been in such a bad mood since we got close to this area! Don't you think?" She asked, only to be met with two shrugs. She rolled her eyes in annoyance then she turned back to stare into the fire. "I hope he's okay."

"Karin, please, it's Sasuke we're talking about." Juugo said, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, maybe you're right." Karin agreed, and pursed her lips.

__

Off on his own, Sasuke finally found the peace and quiet he sought. His tensed shoulders relaxed, and he allowed for his tight, stoic, expression to soften ever so slightly. He moved silently through the trees, his steps ghosting over the forest floor. Like a cat he was quick, unseen and unheard. His eyes never stayed focused on one place, they constantly darted about, scanning every inch of the foliage around him, and in great clarity. Had it not just been the dull light of the moon illuminating the area, you would have seen the intense red glow of his eyes. Such a deep red, with small flecks that looked like curled teardrops swirling around his dilated pupils. Any person would have been intoxicated at the beauty of his eyes, his clan's famous trait, his Sharingan.

Sasuke's ears perked up as he heard leaves rustle in the canopy of leaves above him, and then he stopping moving. Inclining his head toward the noise, he glared into the dark jade leaves. With the powerful clarity of his Sharingan, he saw starring back at him a small animal. His face rearranged itself into a stoic mask, and then he began to walk again. Once more his feet made no noise as he passed over the cluttered floor of the forest, which was beginning to clear up with every step he took. Looking down at the ground, he cocked a brow then refocused his gaze to right in front of himself. He could see now that he was at the edge of the thick woods, and at the same time, at the edge of a village. Sasuke's lips pressed deeper into a thin line, and then he stopped walking once more. He let his eyes roll over the village's wall until he spotted the gate. Engraved on one of the doors, he could see the Mist village's insignia.

Unwillingly his thoughts drifted to the first time he'd been to the village. It had been long ago, almost nine years. A smirk tugged lightly at the corner of his mouth, and then he shook his head. "Hn." He grumbled, willing the smirk to fade away, and though he tried to do the same with his thoughts, he found it strangely difficult. The memories were so clear in his head, he felt as though he could feel his old team's chakra signatures in the air.

Suddenly his mouth fell open agape, but then he quickly snapped it back shut. Of course! No wonder he'd been pulled into that useless memory. He could feel their signatures; they were no more than a few hours old. Sasuke's brows knitted together and he took a step away. How unfortunate that he'd made his way toward this place. Even though his chakra was perfectly masked, they would definitely sense it there, even if it were so very faint; he grit his teeth. Surely once they found it they would come after him; that would be so like them. '_But still,'_ he thought, '_even if they do feel that I had been here, they would never find me if they came looking. Karin would warn me of them, and then we'd be able to slip away. It's so easy it's almost unfair._' Sasuke finished off smugly with a shake of his head and a, "Hn." Turning away from the village, he started back toward his camp and his team.

__

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! You're back." Karin shrieked, and practically ran toward him. She put on a smile, and a light blush crossed her cheeks as she looked up at him. "I know you said you weren't hungry, but, I made you some food anyway, just in case you changed your mind." The redhead explained, and weaved her arms around his one arm.

Sasuke peered down at her, and inwardly sighed. "I didn't, now let go." He ordered simply, and she automatically did so. "All right, now listen to me. Get rest now, because we're leaving before daylight."

Suigetsu was the first to say something. "What? I thought you said earlier, that we weren't in a hurry." He said, scowling at the new prospect.

"While I was away, I found something that could become troubling if we were to run into it." Sasuke replied, turning away from the agitated shinobi to take a seat near the fire that was still burning strong.

Karin quirked a brow, and then she followed Sasuke. "What sort of think would be troublesome for the four of us? Itachi?" She asked, leaning forward to look at his face, but then she drew back with a tiny gasp.

As soon as the suggestion touched Sasuke's ears, his eyes flashed as red as the flames before him, and his mouth turned down into a menacing scowl. "Karin, if it was Itachi, we wouldn't be here. We would be at his door, bringing him down. Right now." He growled at her, and then he lifted a hand to push her away. "You're an idiot for even suggesting that. You know, you're lucky that you have something I need, or I would have ridded myself of you a long time ago."

Karin looked up at Sasuke with unbelieving eyes, and then she parted her lips to speak; though she did not get a chance to say whatever it was she was going to say because Sasuke quickly cut in. "Not another word." He told her, as he moved away from her.

The redhead felt her eyes begin to sting, and she bit her lip. '_How dare he say such a thing! I've done so many things for him! And he had to say that? Well fine. Whatever._' She thought, picking herself up from the ground to sit upright.

From his own spot, Suigetsu bit his thumb. The urge to laugh at Karin's face when Sasuke had said what he did was almost more than he could bear. "Pfffftt." He sputtered, as the laugh tried to fight it's way out.

And all while Sasuke sat quietly, Karin tried to hide the fact she was bawling, and Suigetsu was spitting out a laugh every few seconds, Juugo just sat starring at the three of them. He'd been so caught up in doing something else, that he'd totally missed what had happened, though if he had seen it, he probably would have been just the same way. "Well, I'm going to sleep. Like Sasuke said, we have to move out early in the morning." Juugo said softly with a tiny shrug, before he laid down his cloak on the ground to lie on it.

Suigetsu looked up from starring at Karin, and he finally stopped laughing long enough to get a word out. "That sounds like a good idea." Mimicking Juugo, he laid out his cloak, and then fell onto it in a sleeping heap.

As for Karin, she simply cried herself to sleep, while Sasuke simply stayed up, seemingly too lazy to sleep, or not tired enough to try.

__

Meanwhile…

Sakura sat up from her futon with an audible yawn. Her arms lifted from her sides, lifting up into the air in a stretch.


	3. Rememberance

Sakura sat up on her futon with a deep stretch. Last night, when she'd gone upstairs, she laid down and fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow; she hadn't taken the time to change her clothes either, no, she was too tired for that. Lifting an arm from her side, she rubbed away the sleep that still lingered in her eyes. Her lips parted and she sighed contently. Now that she'd had a good night's sleep she felt totally rejuvenated. A smile started to form on her lips.

Throwing back the covers, Sakura slipped out of the bed; when her feet touched the floor she jerked away. "Oh!" She said in surprise; the floor was unusually cold. Slowly she put her feet back on the floor, and she lifted off the futon. Weaving some fingers into her hair, she pulled out the ties that held her hair in the braids and then put them around her wrist so she would not lose them; then she rolled the braids between her thumb and forefinger so that they came undone. Turning the time she'd had it up, her hair had become a fluffy mess of pink curls. Not that she was complaining. The one time that she'd worn her hair that way in the village, she'd turned lots of heads, much to her surprise; and Ino's.

Ever since they had been children, there had always been a rivalry between the two friends. Starting with what seemed to be a popularity contest, then progressing to the two vying for the affections of one certain boy. Sakura's lips twitched into a smile. It had been so mindless, now that she thought about it. They'd let some stupid boy, who never would have picked between the two of them so long as they kept up the fight, come between their friendship. But after that, the rivalry had twisted into something different, they fought against one another for a different reason. They fought to prove who was stronger, they took up medical training, and they studied and trained in order to become better than the other. Sakura wanted to laugh; she'd known from the very beginning that she had that contest in the bag, hands down. With a light shake of her head, she dismissed the thoughts of her childhood friend, and then she turned back to her pack. Reaching in, she pulled out an outfit that was the same as the one she'd worn the previous day. She then wasted no time in throwing off her dirty clothes to slip into the new.

Leaving her bedroom, Sakura descended the stairs into the downstairs of Inari and Tsunami's home. It seemed to be that she was the first one up, because all was quiet in the living room, and there was no smell of food coming from the kitchen. "Huh." She said putting a hand on her hip. "Well, I guess I'll just go walk around for a bit. Knowing Naruto, he won't be up for a while." Shrugging, she went to the front door and quietly stepped out. As soon as she hit the moist, cool air, she let out a relaxed sigh. It was one of the things she liked about the mist, even on the hottest days of summer, you would still be able to keep quite cool; unlike in Konoha, where you practically died of heat exhaustion on the coolest day of summer.

"Ahh." Stepping off the doorstep, Sakura began to make her way into the village. She'd probably get breakfast while she was out. Tsunami would probably find that she was gone, and then she'd save some of whatever she made, but Naruto would probably eat it. A small laugh escaped her mouth and she shook her head. '_That would be so like him.'_ She thought, and kicked a rock away from her feet as she walked. Her bright viridian eyes watched the stone as it skittered away, then bumped into the feet of someone who was a distance way from her. Cocking a brow, she looked up at the person. She had brilliant red hair, and a pair of glasses.

__

Earlier that day…

"Sasuke-kun, I'm going to go into the village. We're low on supplies." Karin said as she twisted a piece of hair between her fingers. Her spectacles were slipped lowly on her nose, and she looked at the raven boy through her lashes.

Onyx eyes stared backed at her unblinking, and then he sighed. "Aah." He mumbled with a flick of his wrist. "Quickly. Don't be seen." He added, his eyes slipping shut.

Karin's lips pressed into a thin line as she noted, with dissatisfaction, that her ruse hadn't moved him in the least. She'd been hoping that her flirtatious gestures would make him want to go with her into the village. But with his short words, and his sudden urgency to leave the vicinity, that hope had been crushed.

"Well, fine." She said, crossing her arms in defeat before she disappeared with her flash step technique.

_____

The woman turned around and looked at Sakura up and down. A scowl formed on her lips, for reasons Sakura couldn't quite place. The redhead looked over Sakura once more, then her lips parted slowly. "Who do you think you are, to kick rocks at me?" She asked acidly, with a tone that made it sound like she thought herself to be better than anyone else.

"Um?" Sakura started, her brows coming together in something a little less than rage. "Excuse me? Who are you do get in the way of the rocks I'm kicking?" The pinkette asked, and balled a fist at her side. She knew what she'd said didn't make much sense, but it just sort of slipped out; but it seemingly worked because the redhead's mouth hung open agape like she'd just been stunned. She obviously didn't have a clue what to say back to that.

"You! Uh… I… Screw you, you pink-haired freak!" The redhead screeched at Sakura, and turned away with a flick of her red locks.

Sakura's eyes went wide, and she quickly walked up behind the redhead. Grabbing a hold of her shoulder, she spun the girl around and glared at her. "What did you say to me? You piece of trash?"

"Oh, you're stupid _and _deaf! Poor thing." She retorted, and then, very loudly, said, "I said, screw you. Pink. Haired. Freak." The redhead yelled, and then said it more slowly at the end, as if to make Sakura understand better.

Sakura's jaw locked and her hand tightened into a fist. Slowly she drew it backward a pumped chakra into the appendage; then she let her first snap forward.

The redhead's eyes were wide, she could feel the chakra bubble into the pink girl's fist, but she thought nothing of it until the fist was firmly against her cheek. "Agh!" She screamed as she was tossed back by the force of impact.

Sakura pulled her arm back to her side, and watched with intense satisfaction as the girl smashed into a tree; and also broke it in half. "Ha. Ahaha!" A peal of laughter slipped out of Sakura's mouth. "Serves you right." She said, still laughing as she did, then she turned around and began walking off.

Disentangling herself from the broken limbs, the redhead sat up and stared after the pinkette. For such a tiny girl, she was strong, she had to admit, but it really pissed her off to do so. "How dare you? Don't you know who I am?"

Sakura glanced back at the girl over her shoulder. With a shrug of her shoulders she answered. "No, I don't. And I don't particularly care either." Turning forward again, Sakura disappeared out of sight.

"What a… what the hell?" She fumed, and pulled herself to her feet. "Ugh! Well whatever." Her mouth twisted into a scheming smirk. "Once Sasuke hears about what happened to me, he'll feel bad and want to defend me. He'll go find that girl, and kill her." She said laughing before leaving back to her campground.

__

"Sasuke-kun~" Karin whined as she stepped into the small clearing. "You will not believe what happened!"

From the side, Suigetsu laughed. "Probably not, Karin, because you're insane."

Karin glared at him, but then she disregarded him. "Sasuke, this girl, in the village. She attacked me, for no reason!" She started. "First thing she did, she kicked a rock at me. And it was a big rock too. You know, I was just minding my own business, getting our food, which she stole from me by the way! And she kicks a rock at me." Karin's mouth drooped into a pout before she continued. "So, I turned and asked her what the problem was; and then she said the most hurtful thing. She called me a freak, and a piece of trash." Karin brought a hand to her eye, and dramatically wiped away a tear; that wasn't even there. "I tried to ignore the girl after that, but then she grabbed me, turned me around, and then punched me in the face. She punched me so hard I dropped our supplies, and I slammed into a huge tree." With the same hand that was still at her eye, she touched her cheek lightly where Sakura had decked her.

Sasuke looked up at her, his face stoic as ever, then he sighed. Standing up from the place where he was sitting, he gestured for Karin to come over to him. She obliged, and then gasped when Sasuke pulled her hand away from her face, only to put his own there. With probing fingers he touched the wound, then he dropped his hand. "What did the girl look like?"

Karin's cheeks flushed bright red, as red as her hair, and she stammered as she tried to find the words. "P-p-pink hair."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly, then he navigated aground Karin to go back to his seat. _'So, they are here. How annoying.'_ He thought, leaning back against the tree he sat beneath. "Suigetsu."

The blue haired boy looked up and toward Sasuke. "What?" He asked, his mouth curling into a smirk.

"Go into the village and get the supplies Karin failed to retrieve. If you happen to see this girl with pink hair…" Sasuke trailed off. What exactly did he want to do about the girl? Have Suigetsu off her? Or bring her to him? If he said the latter, what would he do with her once he had her? He could kill her himself, but did he really want that? Sasuke shut his eyes and let out a sigh. "Do as you please. It matters not to me." Yes, that would work just fine. Suigetsu was creative, he'd think of something to do with her, and then he'd have one less thing to worry about.

"I'll get right on that, Sasuke." Suigetsu said, with a mocking salute to the brooding boy. Grabbing his massive sword from out of the ground, Suigetsu put it into its holster before he took off.

Karin looked down at Sasuke with disbelieving eyes. "Wait, you're not going to kill her or something? You're just going to let Suigetsu deal with her?" Her brows knitted together and she then crossed her arms._ 'He's probably just going to compliment her for hurting me. That jackass.'_

Sasuke did not reply to her question, instead he let his eyes flicker closed. With that tiny motion, Karin pressed her lips firmly into a thin line and then she said nothing more. But it didn't stop her from screaming in her head. _'What the fuck!'_

__

Suigetsu ambled slowly through the town. His dull blue eyes searched the streets, looking for the supposed girl with pink hair. Knowing the way Karin worked, she probably did not make up the girl, but she had most likely exaggerated the situation. It had probably been Karin who'd instigated the fight, over the tiniest look her way; a smirk appeared on his lips. "I bet this girl is much prettier than Karin." He mumbled to himself quietly, and then he shut his mouth. About ten feet in front of him stood a girl at a food stand. Her hair was a brilliant pink. His smirk widened, and he placed a hand on his hip. He watched her struggle to decide what she wanted to get, and he kept watching until she turned to leave the stand. The girl had turned in his direction, and Suigetsu caught his breath. Oh, definitely prettier than Karin. _'I wouldn't mind being around that.'_ He thought, licking his lips before they spread into a grin.

Sakura looked from the stand, feeling someone's eyes on her. It didn't take long for her to see who was doing it either. A tall man stood to her left, a sharp grin on his mouth, and he had a mess of silvery blue hair on his head. But the thing that most stood out about him was the giant of a sword strapped to his back. The pinkette cocked a brow as she examined it from where she stood. She could see the hilt, a pattern of black white, black white. She could also see the very end, curved, with a circle punched through it. Her viridian eyes widened in recognition, and then she took a step back. _'That's clearly not Zabuza, but it's clearly his sword.'_ She thought, and her mouth curled down into an uncertain frown.

Seeing the look on her face, Suigetsu's cocked a brow. His eyes followed hers to the sword and then he smirked. "Oh, I see. You know this sword?" He asked her quietly.

Sakura nodded curtly in response, and then she gained a step closer to him. "How do you have it?" She then asked, her eyes flicking over him, looking for a sign of what he would do next.

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out." He said mysteriously, before he turned away from her and took off.

Sakura's eyes widened, and then quickly narrowed. She wasn't about to let him get away from her when he had a lot of questions to answer. Setting her things that she'd purchased down on the ground, Sakura began the chase.

Wow, sorry I took so long to update. Been busy with school. RATE AND REVIEW


	4. Reunited

She ran as fast as she could. Her legs pumping at an immense pace to try and catch up to the mysterious stranger who had very much intrigued her. The fact he had a weapon that was so dangerously familiar, and the fact that he almost looked like he was looking for her specifically, there was no way she wasn't going to go after him. And she had to go after him right away, there was no time to contact Naruto and tell him of her discovery; otherwise she would have been left in the dust and she wouldn't have been able to find him again, unless he wanted to be found. Her brows pinned together in agitation, and her fists clenched and unclenched. "Who are you?" She muttered underneath her breath.

A few hundred yards in front of the pink haired kunoichi, Suigetsu ran, his smirk was still tugging at the corners of his mouth, and his razor sharp teeth glinted in the sunlight of the early morning. When he'd come toward the girl, he hadn't thought of what he would do with her; toy with her for a little while, maybe kill her. He shook his head. No, it would be a shame to kill her, such a pretty little naïve girl. "_No,_" He thought slowly, "_I'll just lead her far from the village, make sure she can't call for help, then I'll have my fun. Maybe I'll knock her out when I'm finished and take her with me on the trip Sasuke's leading us on. He can't be so stone cold that he'd turn this chick down._" A chuckle escaped from his mouth, and then he let his eyes scan the area around him. He was pretty far from the village by now, and he was pretty close to the came so that if the girl did prove to be a problem, he could simply call on one of the others to help. He skidded to a halt and as he did he pulled the sword from his back, then took a seat at the base of a tree. She'd be there soon enough, but for the time being he would cool down from the intense run.

Sakura burst through into the tree clearing, and much like Suigetsu she skidded to a stop. On the run there, she'd pulled her hair into her braids and she'd slipped her strong hands into her gloves. Now she stood opposite of the blue haired stranger, she tugged her gloves tighter, and she starred him down. "Finally finished running away huh?" She asked, acid in her tone. "I thought you would never stop." She glanced about her surroundings, and clicked her tongue. "I thought you'd be taking me somewhere else too. Oh well." Sakura eyed the boy, and then she let her hands fall to her sides.

"I have my reasons for stopping here." His lips smirked at her again, and he began to pull himself onto his feet.

The pinkette studied him, trying to predict his next move; and her bright viridian eyes narrowed into thin slits when the man disappeared. "And what would that be?" She called out, knowing he was still in the general area.

She heard his response from behind, his body inches away from being flush against her own. "So no one can hear you scream." Suigetsu said quite softly in her ear. A chill went down her spine.

"I think you mean hear _you_ scream." Sakura retorted, spinning on her heel to face Suigetsu. Already her hand was pumped up with chakra; balling her hand into a fist, she punched him right in the mouth. To her surprise, his head burst into water; automatically she sprang back away from him. "What the hell are you!" Sakura screamed at him, watching as his head reformed.

Suigetsu laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "That's no concern of yours sweetheart." He replied before running at her. His giant of a sword poised to slash at her.

Sakura jumped back quickly, continually dodging the weapon as he slashed and stabbed at her again and again. She bit her lip, contemplating what she could do next. Her punch had been useless, so it would most likely be again; he hadn't made hand-signs, so it couldn't be a jutsu. Her brows knitted together, and then she thought of something. If she could get away from him for just a moment, she would be able to use her Cherry Blossom Impact technique, and rip a hole in the ground that he would fall into. One he was in, it would be hard to get out, and then she could make the slip. A nod of her head and her decision was made. Still jumping out of the way, she focused her chakra into her hands, and then she grabbed a kunai from her holster. With immense power she threw the knife at the enemy, causing him to falter in his attack and fall back. Now that she had an opening, Sakura threw her fists at the ground and then she jumped back. There was a loud rumbling in the ground, and then it began to crack open. At first it was just a small fissure, but then the earth ripped apart creating a huge crevasse.

Suigetsu's eyes widened in disbelief of her power, then in his moment of distraction, he found himself falling into the crack. "Damn it!" He cursed, throwing his weapon up. The sword caught on the edges of the crack, creating a bridge between them. Suigetsu then grabbed the hilt of his sword to stop his fall. For a moment he hung there swinging, then once he was steady, he flipped up onto the broad platform of his sword. His mouth curled down into a scowl as he looked around. The pinkette had disappeared while he'd be busy saving himself. "What a clever bitch." He mumbled, taking another look around. "_She couldn't have gotten far_." He figured, stepping onto solid ground. Bending down he picked up his sword, and then he started off in the direction he figured she went in. "_That girl's smart enough not to head back into the village right away. She'd know that would be the first place I would look. She'll probably trail around in the woods until she feels safe, then she'll get back to her group, if she has one._" Suigetsu nodded, picking up speed.

__

Karin's head snapped up, and she looked around. "That was huge." She murmured, then she stood up.

Juugo and Sasuke looked to her at the same time. "What was?" Sasuke asked, his face stoic as ever.

"I just felt a burst a chakra, a big one, near our camp. I can feel Suigetsu too." Karin replied, glancing to Sasuke. "Do you think he's fighting that girl?" She asked, silently hoping he was, hoping he'd kill her.

"Most likely." Sasuke said, looking back at whatever had his attention before Karin had spoken. "He'll be fine on his own."

Karin pursed her lips then shook her head. "I don't know, Sasuke. That foreign chakra is coming closer to the camp. Suigetsu is a little ways behind it." She turned to the dark-haired man.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a second, and then they reopened. "If he doesn't grab her before she gets here, it won't be anything to worry about."

The redhead considered what he said for a second then nodded in agreement. "You're right, four against one. She wouldn't stand a chance." A tiny grin appeared on her lips. "You're so smart, Sasuke-kun."

"A genin could have figured that out, Karin." Sasuke pointed out, rolling his eyes.

The grin slipped away, and suddenly she felt very stupid. "But, well… Uh…" She stammered then shut her mouth when Sasuke glared at her. "_Wow, nice one Karin…_"

__

Sakura's pink braids flew out behind her as she sprinted away from the clearing. She could feel that Suigetsu wasn't far behind, and because of the little stunt she pulled, he was probably very unhappy with her. Sakura drew in a deep breath, and with that she pushed off the tree branch she was on; then she emerged from the trees, into a new clearing. With a soft thud she landed crouched on the ground. She stayed bent over for a moment, before she stood straight. Behind her, she felt three presences. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath then she turned.

Upon turning, she was met with cruel dark eyes. Eyes that she was all too familiar with. Her breath hitched; stopped by the sight of the man before her.

Lips parted, but that was all she could manage. No words came to her. And what words were there to be said any way? 'Sasuke-kun' was what he probably expected, but she wouldn't let him revel in her predictability. So then what could she, or would she say? Her lips pressed closed again then she started to take a step toward him; but she faltered.

Sasuke's lips parted, and almost in a sigh, he said one word. "Sakura."

The pinkette's heart skipped a beat, no make it two, and her lips once again came apart to try and speak, but before she uttered one word, she was cut off.

"You _know_ her? Sasuke-kun, how come you didn't say anything?" The redhead Sakura had encountered earlier cried out, turning to the raven-haired boy. He said nothing; instead he stood from his spot, shushing Karin automatically.

"Sasuke…" Sakura muttered quietly and she was met with a nod. "I can't believe that…" She lost her voice again, and she felt her throat constrict, it was hard to breathe.

This time Sasuke spoke. "That I'm here?" His face betrayed no emotions like Sakura's did, but his voice held a mocking tone.

Sakura nodded once. "Are you…?" She started.

"No. I'm not." Sasuke replied, as if he'd read her mind.

She winced slightly, and she averted her gaze. "Then why? What are you doing here?"

"I had no intention of seeing or speaking to you, I'm just passing through here." He said.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat once more. It hurt to know that even after all this time, he still didn't want to come back with them; hell, he'd even gotten a new team. Glancing back up, she stared at the huge orange haired man, then at the redhead; a few seconds later, she also found herself looking at the boy with blue-silver hair. Her brows knitted together, and she began noticing slight similarities between this new team, and her team. The woman, albeit her hair was a dark red, was still in the same color family as her own, pastel pink locks, the huge man with his obnoxious orange hair was like Naruto, and the other one had silvery hair, just like Kakashi. And then there was Sasuke. His eyes were still that dark mysterious color, and his hair was just as ebony as she remembered it. Though, his face had matured, there was no longer the childish roundness, instead it was more defined.

Biting down on her lip, she shook away her straying thoughts. Now wasn't the time to think about how handsome he'd gotten since she last saw him. Bringing her focus back to his face, she let out a sigh. "Nothing I could say would change your mind." It wasn't a question.

His eyes told her everything she needed to know. She took a deep breath. "If that's how it is…" She trailed off, and turned on her heel. Each step she took, it felt like there was a weight strapped to her leg. Her body screamed at her to stop, and stay with the man a little bit longer, but her mind told her no, she needed to leave. There was no way she could take on Sasuke and his little gang alone, she would need Naruto with her, and even then she wasn't sure if they could manage to take hold of the rogue ninja.

From Sasuke's side, Karin's lip quivered in anger. How did this girl know _her_ Sasuke? And how dare she not even acknowledge that she was there? Sucking in a breath she turned to Sasuke; but she turned to find an empty space. "Ne?! Sasuke?" She exclaimed, throwing her head wildly to look around for the man in question. And she found him, inches from the girl, just standing behind her.

Sakura's steps abruptly halted, and she held her breath. What was he going to do? Kill her?

Sasuke leaned down to Sakura's ear, his voice faintly touching her as he whispered. "You're not going anywhere, Sakura."

__

**Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I think that's all that should be in this chapter for now. :]**

**Rate and Review! Because if you don't, I think I might shut down this operation. It's hard to stay with something if you have no motivation, you know?**


	5. Interlude

**This is just a little note between chapters. I know you are all antsy with the cliffhanger I left you with, but I just wanted you all to answer a few questions for me! :]**

**How do you like the story so far?**

**Is there anything you'd like to see in later chapters?**

**Do you think that I should add in side relationships before we get to the real goodness? Ex; KibaxSakura or NarutoxSakura?**

**What kinds of things do you think I should add?**

**What can I do to make you even more interested in my story?**

**I'm all for comments and critique, leave your answers and opinions in a review! Chapter five will be out within the next day or so. Oh, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!**


	6. Together Again

Sakura's eyes narrowed at Sasuke's words and she spun around to see him face to face. She gave the brooding boy a look of defiance. "Oh? And why not?"

Sasuke didn't seem fazed by the nasty look that she gave him, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward ever so slightly in a smirk. "I can't have you bringing Naruto into this. Not that it would really matter, he's probably just as weak as ever, just as weak as you…" He paused when Sakura let out a hiss. The tiny smirk became more pronounced on his lips, and he continued. "But even so, it would be annoying to have to deal with the both of you."

Her viridian orbs were thin slits as her glare deepened. Was he purposely trying to make her angry? Of course he was. Sakura's lips pressed together, and she shook her head before letting out a laugh. "And that's where you're wrong, Sasuke, Naruto and I are much stronger than you would ever guess." Her mouth pulled up into a smug grin. "Much stronger than any of your little henchmen." She glanced to the redhead that sat a few feet behind Sasuke, and she thought back to how easily she'd put her down for the count; the girl seemed to remember too, because her face turned bright red and she looked pissed. "They'd be like ants." She told him, and watched as his smirk smelted back into a scowl. Then with the blink of an eye he vanished, though he didn't go far, because she could still easily feel his chakra. But then again who couldn't? It was immense.

Sakura's eyes roamed over the clearing, searching for a trace of the boy. She couldn't find him, but she did see his three lackeys stand up and slip into a defensive stance. She looked at them a moment longer before her ears perked up; she could hear the distinct sound of metal whirring through the air. Pumping chakra into her legs, she pushed away from the ground, just in time to dodge five shurikin that embedded in the ground where she had been standing. She twirled in the air, and in the distance, she could make out the silhouette of a man; Sasuke, it looked like. "You'll have to do better than that." She shouted at him, as she landed on the ground. As she did, another few kunai came at her, but to no avail, Sakura quickly dodged them.

"Why don't you just come out and face me, Sasuke? I thought you didn't have anything to hide from." Sakura said cockily, watching the spot where she had seen him. He wasn't making any movements; but that soon changed because the man took her advice and came out from hiding. But to where, she didn't know. Making quick hand seals, Sakura made chakra scalpels. Her hands glowed with the turquoise chakra, and she turned her head around to see if she could find Sasuke. Then just as she was about to look behind, she felt a sharp pain in her back. Groaning, she looked down to see Sasuke's blade sticking through her abdomen. She could tell that he had not hit anything vital, so with a little bit of chakra it would be fixed up before it even had the chance to become life threatening.

Swallowing back the pain, Sakura stepped forward off the blade. There was a sickening sound of her flesh ripping against the metal, but she ignored it, and once she was off the blade, she spun on her heel and she slashed at the man who'd stabbed her. She was able to cut his wrist before he jumped away. "_Alright, I'm satisfied with that. He won't be able to use that arm._" Sakura thought as she brought a hand to her stomach. Clutching the gaping wound, she furiously pushed her healing chakra in. In a matter of second the blood flow had ceased. "Did I forget to mention, Sasuke? I'm a medical-nin. You'll have to try harder if you want me dead."

From the safety of a branch above the pinkette's head, Sasuke stared down at her. His face didn't hint at any pain, although he held his hand fell limply at his side. "Hn, looks like you're useful for something then after all." He commented smugly before continuing on. "But that still isn't enough to beat me."

Sakura looked up at her old friend with a smile. "Maybe not, but it'll be enough to stall you." She told him, and then she averted her gaze back to eye level. The muscles in her legs tensed, and with a push she propelled herself away from the spot she'd once been standing, and she began to run. She had sort of been fibbing when she'd said what she did. "_Who am I kidding? He has three other people with him. Even if I hadn't of used that chakra on my wound, I'd still be no match for the four of them._" She thought, scolding herself.

Karin watched with disbelieving eyes when the girl ran off and Sasuke made no move to follow, nor did he make an order to chase after her. "What are you doing? She's getting away!" She exclaimed, and pointed at the girl who disappeared between the trees.

At Karin's voice, Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and he glanced to her. "There isn't a need to follow her. She'll be back, with whomever she's here with, and when they come back, we'll finish them off then."

The redhead nodded, content with this plan, and then she sank back into her seat. "I can't wait."

It was around one in the afternoon when Sakura burst into Tazuna's home. The pinkette slammed the door behind her and panted as she leaned up against the wall nearest to her. She could hear rustling in the kitchen, and the sound of nervous voices. Above them she heard Naruto tell them to quiet down, saying that, "It's just Sakura." She smiled when she heard that, then as she steadied her breathing she pushed off the wall and started toward the kitchen.

"Naruto, I have something very important to tell you." She announced, looking at the blond dead on. He turned to gaze back at her, and his azure eyes widened when he saw the bruises marring her skin and the massive bloodstain on the front of her shirt.

"What happened to you? You're a mess!" He exclaimed, stumbling onto his feet to get to Sakura's side.

She shook her head. "There's no time to talk about that right now. I saw Sasuke, I know where he is, and that's all that matters. Let's go." Turning around, she made her way back to the door, Naruto close at her heels. She could feel his intense glare on her back, the sheer determination he suddenly felt. It was slightly unnerving, but it gave her a feeling of calm. Sakura felt that because of this, they'd be able to get him back this time; with out fail.

Naruto shoved his feet into his shoes, and he slammed the door on the way out of Tazuna's home. When the pair was out of the house, they instantaneously began to run, so fast they were a blur to anyone else's eyes. It was hard for Naruto to resist tearing through the trees ahead of Sakura, he wanted so badly to get to his friend.

At Sasuke's campground, Karin's head perked up from the mindless sharpening of a kunai. "Sasuke-kun." She breathed out looking toward the north.

"Aa." He replied, turning his head in the direction Karin stared into. He could feel them coming too. He was familiarized with Sakura's chakra once again, so she was easy to recognize, but as for Naruto, it seemed brighter and angrier than he'd ever felt. Had he not known any better, he might have thought it to be someone else. Someone he hadn't seen in a long time, like Kiba, or Neji; one of the stronger genin that he'd once been acquainted with. His lips pressed into a thin line, and he jumped down from the spot he'd been standing in since Sakura had fled the scene.

"They'll be here within the minute. What do you want us to do?" Karin asked, bringing her gaze back to the stoic man that was her leader.

"Nothing. I won't need your help." He said simply, still not looking at the redhead who tried so hard to capture his attention. Instead he stared ahead at the opening in the trees, his unblinking eyes taking in every motion the trees made. A few more seconds of watching, and the calm of the branches was disturbed, a fast orange flash mingling with pink; they were finally here.

"So, you did bring him here with you." Sasuke said, almost mockingly.

Sakura eyed the man, and took full notice that the hand she'd injured on him was still hanging limply at his side, but he did still have full use of his other hand, as it was resting lazily against the hilt of his chokuto. "Of course, there's no one better for the job." The pinkette sneered back at him, and pulled her gloves snuggly back in place. Her green eyes were narrowed at him, but when she turned to Naruto, they softened, and held a slight bit of worry. He could potentially go berserk while fighting Sasuke, and he could turn to the Kyuubi form, and without Yamato there, there was no one to control it. Her lips pressed firmly together, and she shook off that notion then turned back to Sasuke.

He hadn't moved in the few seconds she'd looked away, although he wasn't looking at her anymore, his eyes were fixed on Naruto, and Naruto's on him. Sakura felt almost left out as they shared some sort of silent conversation, but she clenched a fist and the feeling went away.

"Sasuke." Naruto finally growled, his heels dug into the ground.

"Naruto." Sasuke replied. His dark eyes betrayed no emotions like Naruto's did. The blazing anger in his azure orbs did not even faze him.

There was a long silence between the two; all that they did was stare at one another, almost as if they didn't believe the other was really there. The first to speak up again was Sasuke. He had a smooth, even tone that sounded completely uninterested.

"The answer is no. I'm not coming back."

Naruto pressed his lips into a thin line, a scowl. "You sure about that? I'll drag you buy your hair if I have to."

Sasuke seemed amused at what the blond said, because his lips twitched into a smirk. "As if you could, _dobe._"

Naruto's expression softened and he returned the smirk. "I'm not the same as I used to be, _teme_." He replied, his arms crossing over his chest.

"Neither am I." With those three words, Sasuke dissipated in the air, and then appeared behind Naruto, ready to strike with his flames.

Naruto was able to move quickly out of the way before the blast hit him. He had jumped up into the branches of a tree, and in the process he threw a few kunai back at Sasuke. But as expected, he easily dodged them and as he twisted in the air he shot another ball of flames, this time at Sakura.

Her bright green eyes widened at the incoming attack, but she acted quickly and hopped out of the way. Once she was safe, her eyes narrowed at the dark haired ninja. He was really serious about this wasn't he? He wasn't playing around. For a second she felt a pang of remorse in her chest, but it faded, and was replaced with a new feeling of determination. Pumping chakra into her fists, she started toward Sasuke at a fast pace. Her eyes locked and focused on him, she was ready to strike. "_Just a few more feet. He's distracted by Naruto, I can get him._" She said to herself, thrusting her arm out to make the punch, but then from the corner of her eye she saw something shiny. She could also make out the whir of it in the air. Pulling her fist back, she flipped in the air to avoid the kunai. "Damn it!" She cussed, and whipped her head around to see who'd thrown it. To the right of her, she saw the redhead. On her face was a look of smugness, and then she opened her mouth to speak.

"Keep your dirty little hands off of Sasuke you bitch!" Karin yelled, pulling another kunai from her pouch. She held it in her hand, poised to slash and cut at the pink girl.

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked as she cracked her knuckles. "You're the bitch here!" Pushing away from the spot she stood at, Sakura flew toward the redhead. As before, she flung her arm out in front of her, and when she did this, her fist connected with the other woman's gut.

Karin sputtered and gasped when she was hit, and flying back she knocked right into Suigetsu, slamming him to the ground. "Agh!" She screamed, and then weakly began to pull herself up off her comrade. When Sakura had punched her, she had still been holding the kunai, and as she got up, she saw the knife; for it was dug deeply into her left arm. Blood was oozing from the wound onto the ground, and it stained her shirt. "Fuck!" She cussed, and with a quick pull she ripped the kunai out. Throwing it to the ground, she got back up onto her feet. With a hand Karin adjusted her glasses and she glared intently at the girl who'd caused her so much damage.

Sakura returned the glare, and on her lips was a smirk. "Is that the only thing you know how to do? Cuss? Let me tell you something, that's not going to get you anywhere in a fight."

Karin was taken back. What was this girl insinuating? That she was weak? "Hah!" She laughed loudly, and took another kunai out. "You have no idea what you're in for!" Running at Sakura, she jumped up and holding the kunai with both hands, she stabbed downward.

But Sakura was quicker. Twisting on her heel, she got out of the way, and she let Karin stab deep into the earth under their feet. When Karin was kneeling on the ground, Sakura pushed chakra into her leg and she kicked Karin in the ribs. This sent her flying across the clearing, and straight into a tree. Sakura watched with satisfaction as the redhead tried to get up, but failed, falling back to the ground unconscious.

Turning away, she looked up at the battle between Sasuke and Naruto. Both of them were dirty and bruised. She noted with fast eyes that Naruto had a gash running across chest, but that was the only major wound she saw, unless he had broken bones somewhere. A slight worry came over her as she kept her eyes on Naruto though. His eyes had a hazy-ness that she'd only seen when he was about to go toward his demon form. Her brows knitted, and she bit her lip. This needed to stop before someone ended up killed.

Popping open a pouch on her hip, Sakura pulled out a vile of an unknown purple substance. Twisting the cap off, she then took out another object from her pouch; a senbon. It wasn't a weapon that she was particularly any good with, but she always kept a few handy incase she needed them. Dipping the senbon into the liquid, she let it rest there for a second so that it was properly coated. Withdrawing it from the vile, she placed the cap back on and looked back to the fight. She saw an opening then, if she threw the senbon just right, it would hit Sasuke without fail. She decided to take it.

Throwing the senbon, it whizzed through the air as a silvery flash, and then it connected with Sasuke's skin. It imbedded itself deep, and Sakura silently cheered. Give it another ten seconds and he'd be down for the count, and they could bring him home.

Ten…Nine…Eight…Seven…Six…Five…Four…Three…Two…One

"Yes!" Sakura exclaimed, watching as Sasuke fell to his knees on the tree branch. His frame shook as if he was cold, and then he slipped out of the tree.

Naruto's eyes widened and he jumped down after Sasuke, catching him in his arms. "Sakura, what did you do?"

Sakura shook her head in reply. "There's no time for that, lets go!"

The blond nodded, and he went off running, at his side Sakura ran with him.

From behind them, there was sudden yelling. "Sasuke!"

Although the rest of his body was paralyzed, the man in question was still able to speak. "Leave me. I can get back on my own."

Suigetsu, the one who'd yelled after them, scowled. "If you say so." Shaking his head, he looked over toward Karin, who was still out old. His scowl softened, and he went over to her. Sliding his arms underneath her, he picked her up from the ground and carried her back over to Juugo. "Damn, she got hurt pretty bad. Looks like some broken ribs." Glancing up to Juugo, Suigetsu sighed, could you find some bandages or something? Can't have her dying, Sasuke might get mad."

Juugo nodded. "Sure, but I don't think he'd miss her that much." Shrugging his shoulders, he stalked off.

"Hahaha! Probably not." Suigetsu said laughing.

* * *

**This should be a pretty good place to stop! :D Thanks for reading, and thanks for answering my questions.**

**Please review! It keeps me wanting to write this for you guys.**


	7. Back Home

And so they ran. Leaping branch to branch, tree to tree, Naruto and Sakura made their way toward their home village of Konoha. With them, they carried former teammate, Sasuke, who rested motionlessly against Naruto's back. The poison Sakura had used on his was very potent, so he would be paralyzed for a long time; well after they got back to Konoha. That way they would have time to bring him where he needed to go, get his chakra blocked, and then get everything else done that would need to be done.

Naruto glanced over at the pinkette to his side. As his bright azure eyes scanned over her, his mouth pressed into a tight line, and then he looked forward again. "Sakura, we have time now, how about you explain how you found him?" He asked without looking back toward her.

Sakura tore her gaze away from the path in front of her, and she looked at Naruto. "I woke up before everyone, and decided I wanted to go for a walk…" She started with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I just kind of in the right place at the right moment?" Her explanation was choppy and did not make much sense. But wasn't that what was to be expected?

She had just, against all odds, stumbled upon the right person, or rather the right people had stumbled upon her, and in a strange turn of events she was brought face to face with her old comrade.

Sakura bit her lip.

Her emotions her so jumbled, she didn't know how she should feel. At first, she had felt disbelief, the fact that he was right there in front of her again for the first time in years, but that soon melted away to an emotion that she was all too familiar with, a mixture of fear and sadness that stabbed in her chest, she was so afraid that she would lose him again. But like her disbelief, this emotion quickly gave way to something else, the hardened shell that she'd carefully constructed for herself over the years.

She let go of a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Naruto? Why don't we stop for a few minutes? We've been running for an hour or so." Sakura offered, as she began to slow down.

The blond in question stopped and turned to her. "Are you tired?" He asked her, setting Sasuke down against the tree. He kept an eye on him, but his attention was mostly on Sakura.

"No, there's just something I need to do. Tsunade should know that we're coming back." She replied, and began to make hand seals. After a few, she slapped her hand down onto the ground, a puff of smoke later; a dog-sized slug appeared before her. "Katsuyu." Sakura greeted.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?" The slug answered, looking up at the pink haired girl.

"Tell Tsunade that we're coming back to the village earlier than expected, and that we have Sasuke with us." Sakura quickly explained, with a nod of her head.

"Alright, Sakura-chan." Katsuyu replied puffing away.

Sakura turned back to Naruto and gave him a tiny smile. "There, by the time we get there, they should have a holding cell ready for him."

"Ah, good thinking Sakura!" A big smile appeared on his face. "So do you want to stay here for a bit longer or do you just want to get going?"

Pondering it for a moment, Sakura shook her head. "The sooner the better." She answered as she tightened the tie on her braid. "My poison will work for a long time, but you never know, and I don't want anymore problems."

Naruto nodded, stepping to Sasuke. Grabbing the boy's limp arm, he pulled him up and onto his back once more. "Let's move it then."

_Later that day…_

The tall gates of Konoha slowly swung open, and so Naruto and Sakura walked in. They were greeted by questioning stares, and a team of Anbu black ops. One of them stepped forward, their arms open.

Naruto looked at his former comrade, and then he hesitantly handed him over. Although he knew that they were more than capable of handling him, he was nervous. They had just gone through a lot getting him back and if they were to lose him again, well, he didn't know how he'd be able to bare it. He didn't know how Sakura would handle it either. It ripped her to shreds the last time they lost him.

The masked ninja nodded in thanks, and stepped back into their place. A second later, one of the others that were there spoke. "Hokage-sama would like to see you in her office, A.S.A.P"

The couple nodded in unison, and giving Sasuke a weary parting glance, they walked off toward the hokage mansion.  
___

There were there within no time, and with a soft knock on the door, Tsunade's familiar voice called them in.

"Sakura, Naruto, glad to see you're okay." She started slowly, eyeing the two. "It must have been difficult for you to get your hands on him… He's a tricky ninja." Resting her elbows on her desk, Tsunade rested her chin on her hands. "Although, I can't say I'm surprised. You're two of Konoha's finest."

Sakura pursed her lips; she could tell Tsunade was holding back what she'd actually called them there for. "Shishou, can we just get to the point?" She had been a little rude, but if she didn't say anything, they would be stuck listening to her ramble on.

"Right, of course," The blond cleared her throat, and she let her hands drop into her lap. "I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do with him. It was very unexpected." Her brows furrowed. "At first I was thinking of interrogating him, but from what I have heard about the boy, he is extremely stubborn, so that's out of the question.

"So that's why I called the two of you in. I thought that you of all people would know what the best course of action would be." Tsunade looked between the two, gauging what their reaction would be. Naruto was the first to speak up, of course.

"You should let me beat some sense into him, and then when I'm done, we can just go back to our everyday life. It'll be like before he left again." He said confidently, earning a scowl.

"Naruto, you know just as well as I do, we can't do that. As much as I'd like for that to work, it just isn't that easy." Tsunade replied scowling.

Sakura sighed looking at her friend, but then she looked back to Tsunade. "We can have him stay in a jail facility for the next few days, and when that's up, make him stay with us, like in Kakashi's house, Naruto's, mine." If she was still anything like she was when she was twelve, her face probably would have been beat red. "During that time, he can be regularly checked, and until he's deemed fit to live free again, he can wear chakra bracelets." Sakura explained.

The whole time Sakura talked, Tsunade nodded. Her idea was better than what she had been thinking of, and it would probably work out the best. A tiny smile appeared on her lips. "So it's settled. We'll go with your plan Sakura."

**Hey, sorry it's taken so long to update! I know you've been waiting a long time. So, here it is, chapter six. And I promise, chapter seven will be out quicker than this one was. But I'm not going to start it yet, I have exams next week, so I'll be super busy studying. I love you guys! RATE AND REVIEW! Or I won't update C:**


	8. Taking It Slow

**I wish I owned Naruto, but I don't. C:**

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Somewhere along the way, he'd fallen asleep.

"_How long was I out?_" His eyes slowly slipped open. Darkest brown irises swept across the room. It was drab, a sad gray covered the walls, the floor, the whole room. There was a wooden chair in the corner, which was about the most interesting thing in the small space.

His lips parted, and a sigh tumbled out of his throat. Scratchy, it sounded as if he'd been deprived of water for days. The tip of his tongue darted out of his mouth and quickly wet his lips. "_I'm thirsty._" He thought to himself, pressing his mouth into a line. With a small grunt, he began to pull himself upright. Now he noticed the soft cot he'd been placed on. "_Well, that was nice of them._" His thoughts dripped sarcasm.

He suddenly turned his head toward the door. His hypersensitive ears could hear the clickety-clack of a woman's heels coming toward his room, he could even hear her light breathing. His face slipped into a mask of impatience and a slight anger he couldn't hide very well. Brows came together, and dark eyes narrowed into thin slits. The knob of the door jangled as it was unlocked and twisted. Slowly the door opened to reveal who had come.

Tall, blonde, she looked like any regular woman. With her deep amber eyes, she looked him over, and then shut the door behind her. She walked to the chair in the corner and dragged it so that she sat in front of him. In her hands, she held a clipboard.

"Uchiha Sasuke." She stated, looking from the page to his face. "Do you know why you're here?" He snorted at the sound of his name, and the question that followed it. Of course, he knew why he was there.

The woman pursed her lips. "I guess that answers that question." Dropping her gaze back down to the paper, she looked it over once more. It seemed to Sasuke that it was a prompt for her to read from. She rolled her eyes, and with a flick of her wrist, she tossed the clipboard to the other side of the room. "Listen, I'm not going to beat around the bush. You are here, because I decided to be nice. I didn't have to let you have that bed, or this room for that matter. In actuality, you should be in a dirty concrete cell where no one would ever have to see your face again," she paused, gauging his reaction; there was none. "I don't have to let you have anything, if I wanted, I could let you starve to death. But, it seems that you still have people around here who care."

Sasuke didn't flinch at her cold words; instead he let out an annoyed grunt. "_So much for not beating around the bush._" He thought, and directed his gaze away from the woman.

Quirking a brow, she shook her head. "Let me tell you what's going to go down, you're going to be sitting in this cell for the next two or three weeks. You will not be allowed to go anywhere without someone with you, all visits you get, _if you get any,_" She added quietly, "will be closely monitored. During your stay here, you will be wearing chakra restraints, and when your time is over, you'll still be wearing them." She paused, letting the information sink in. "After you're finished here, you'll be staying with some people you might know, like Kakashi for example. Once you're deemed fit to stay on your own, you can, with your restraints off, but you are not allowed to leave the village without authorization, and if you so happen to get it, you will be leaving with an escort. No if, ands or buts about it. Any questions?" She asked, eyeing him.

He turned to look at her, and his lips parted as though he was about to say something, but she cut him off before he could. "I didn't think so. In about fifteen minutes, someone will come in with your lunch, so sit back, relax, and enjoy your solitude." The blonde stood up from the chair and with a foot she pushed it into the corner, then she disappeared through the door. He could hear the faint click of the door locking.

Sasuke dragged his gaze over the room for the second time, nothing was different except for the clipboard the woman, the hokage Tsunade, he assumed, had left in the corner of the room. He starred at it for a good five minutes, before deciding he wasn't curious enough to get up and look at it. The corners of his mouth turned down in a scowl, and he leaned his back up against the wall. It'd been about ten minutes since Tsunade had left, so there was five minutes until someone brought his lunch. He idly wondered who would bring it. Someone he knew? Someone he didn't? It didn't matter so much, but now that he had so much time on his hands, there wasn't anything to do other than think about trivial things. Well, he could be thinking of a way to escape, as he would usually do in this kind of situation, but the thing was there probably was no chance that he'd get out, now right now at least. Tsunade had clearly told him he had chakra restraints, meaning any jutsu, even his Sharingan, were useless; and he didn't even need to search himself to know that every weapon he'd had hidden on his person was missing. His scowl deepened. There was also that whole guard thing, being who he was, he'd probably be guarded every minute of the day, so he couldn't even use his brute strength; he'd be outnumbered no matter what.

His tongue swept over his lips. "_I'm thirsty."_

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The pinkette peeled away her soiled clothing from her body. Bloodstains blended into the crimson of her top, but against her skin, you could clearly see the red. Her nose wrinkled at the rusty smell and then she stepped into the shower. She twisted the knob, releasing the water. At first she just stood letting the droplets beat against her back, but soon she grabbed a pouf and began to scrub her skin. While she washed away the grime, her eyes wondered over the shower. She noticed cracked tiles that somehow still stuck to the wall. Sakura remembered breaking them, and she remembered why. Her lips pressed firmly together. The reason for her broken tiles was now back in the village, in a prison facility to be exact. Sakura shook her head; they'd been back in the village for about six hours now, and still she was still so jumbled.

Everything seemed unreal. How lucky it was for her to have awoken before everyone else. How lucky that she kicked that rock. How lucky that everything fell into place like it did. Everything was by chance. Her eyes slipped shut as she scrubbed shampoo into her locks. The familiar scent was comforting and sickening at the same time. Hot water washed the bubbles away; her eyes opened again.

Sakura hadn't gotten into the shower just to clean herself up, she got in because she wanted to try to wash away the feelings that were flooding her being once again. A weak pain in her chest reminded her of when she was a child; a love sick little girl. Her brows furrowed together. She wasn't that little girl anymore, and she'd be damned if his being back reverted her back to that disgusting state. Slamming her palm into the knob of the shower, Sakura turned the water off. With a hand, she slung her wet hair over one shoulder and stepped out.

She toweled, brushed, and braided her hair, then she quickly got dressed. Instead of her usual ninja garb, she was wearing her street clothes; Tsunade wasn't allowing her to work or go on missions until she was well rested, and so she would have a lot of free time on her hands. Stepping in front of her full-length mirror, Sakura admired herself. She wore a red long sleeve shirt with her family crest on the front, and a pair of tight blue jeans. A slight smile appeared on her lips, and she walked out of the room to the front door of her home.

Brushing her bangs out of her eyes, Sakura looked at her surroundings. She could see a group of genin playing some shurikin tossing game, an elderly couple watching from a bench, smiling and laughing at the children's antics. Her tiny smile widened, and she thought idly about the children. Their lives were so carefree, and full of joy, they didn't have a thing to worry about. The smile faded. How she wished her life could go back to that.

Turning away from the playing genin, Sakura started to walk. She didn't have anywhere in particular to go. She'd thought of going to see her longtime friend Ino, but after a few minutes of mulling it over, she figured the cream-colored blonde would be busy. Other than Ino, she didn't really have any female friends that should could spent time with. Contrary to popular belief, she and Ino were not close with TenTen, Hinata, or any of the other girls their age. Sure, they cooperated with each other just fine, but all of their personalities were just too different to function. Sakura frowned. It seemed that her work at the hospital really was taking over her normal life. People had been telling her for months now that she needed to get out and do something fun, but she was stubborn and she liked working, it took her mind off things that were troubling. Sighing, she stopped walking.

Her bright green eyes scanned the area around her. In her mindless wandering, she'd ended up near the Uchiha compound. Compulsively she took a step back and gazed at the wall. The Uchiha crest painted on the huge gate was peeling away with age, and some parts of the wall were crumbling. Sakura bit her lip then released it. Taking a step forward she reached out to traced her fingers along the crest, but within an inch, she withdrew her hand as if it was a hot flame licking her hand. Swallowing back a tiny gasp, Sakura shook her head. "What am I doing around here anyway?" Backing away, the pinkette began to walk back toward the inner village. As she trailed off, she had to resist looking back at the Uchiha compound.

In the two or three years following Sasuke's disappearance, Sakura had often found herself at his childhood home. Somehow she'd found comfort in just being near the places he'd been, but after a while she thought it silly and she avoided the place completely.

"_I haven't been here in at least three years… what made me come back now?" _Sakura silently questioned herself, and her lips pushed together in a scowl as the answer came to her. "It's because he's back…" She decided, and groaned. She almost wanted to smack herself. After all this time of convincing herself that she was over the man, telling herself that she still only cared because he was her _teammate_ and nothing else. Sakura sighed. If this was what the first day of him being back was going to be like, she couldn't imagine how the rest of the time was going to pan out.

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Out of the three, Naruto was probably handling the whole situation the worst. He was annoyed that he wasn't allowed to visit the teme yet, that the teme wasn't allowed to just be regular in the village again, just everything about the situation was annoying. More than anything, he just wanted everything to be normal again. He wanted to go on dangerous missions with the brooding man, fight with him like they did as genin, go to the ramen shop with him and eat until one of them puked… His blonde brows furrowed, a hand clenched into a fist. "This sucks!"

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**I couldn't bear giving you guys a short chapter again, so I forced myself to finish this up with Naruto's small bit. It's not much, filler really, but eh… So here's chapter seven! And this time, please, please give me more than one review, at least five, or I refuse to update again for a while.**


	9. Reality Sets In

**Sorry for the long wait!**

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Eyes half shut, Sakura stared blankly at the mirror across from her. Unlike usual, her eyes didn't hold their normal puffiness and dark circles, rather, she looked awake, alive like she'd spent an eternity sleeping. Her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't like it. She had too much free time on her hands. She was getting, comfortable.

Tsunade still forbade her from going to work and going on missions. She had said, and Sakura remembered it clearly, because it was just so funny,

"_Stay home and live a little, be girly with Ino, go on a date with a boy, do whatever you want, but you will not come to the clinic, and you will not come and ask for a mission. I don't care if you torture me, _not that you could, _I won't give in, so get out of here."_

She let out a peal of laughter, and then she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle it. Her frame shook with the hidden laugh, then she took a deep breath to calm herself. Pulling her hand away from her lips, she shook her head. Tsunade was right that she needed a break though, as she was usually right about most things. All the free time had given her a chance to catch up with Ino, and she'd gotten back to talking to Sai too. Because she'd been off work, she had been able to welcome him home after his three-month long mission. They'd gone to Ichiraku Ramen on Naruto's insistence, and afterwards they headed off to the bar to meet up with Kakashi, Yamato, and the rest of the rookie nine, though of course, one was missing.

Her pink brows crashed together as she thought of it, that person could have been there, he was in the village again, thanks to Naruto and herself, but as she continued to mull it over, she realized just how strange it would have been for him to be there. His brooding self, he would have sat in the corner, his dark eyes narrowed at everyone except maybe Naruto; and how odd he would have looked, with Sai there too. The pair was so alike, yet so different. Both with their pallid skin and dark locks, the faces that betrayed no emotion. Yes, they would have been strange next to one another.

Fingers slid through her fringe, pushing it back out of her face. A faint pounding in her chest made itself known. She glowered; it was a dull pang of anger and sadness, which felt like a cancer that kept coming back no matter how many times you ripped it out. Sakura clenched her jaw, and slowly let out a breath through her nose. Her eyes slipped shut and she waited for the feeling to pass.

"Aah." She groaned her eyes open now. The feeling had been showing up more and more ever since they'd brought Sasuke back. She'd speculated that it was a sign she should go see him, but she'd denied herself that; there wasn't a reason for her to go see him. She'd thrown her feelings for him away a long time ago. Sure, she still cared for his wellbeing, and she'd wanted him to be in her life again, but her love for him? That flame had long since burned out. So then, if that was indeed true… why? Why did her chest hurt the way it did when he was on her mind? She frowned. Was it that she wanted to make sure? Her brows furrowed. Now that she thought of it from that angle, everything was suddenly clearer. Of course, that was it. She wanted to, no, needed to make sure, that he was back, that she had really succeeded in bringing him down and dragging him back home. Nodding her head, she finalized it. She knew what she had to do.

Slipping off the bed, Sakura stood up and walked out of her bedroom. Rounding the corner, she practically ran down the stairs to the front door. Shoving her feet into her blue sandals, she turned and then pulled the door open. Stepping through, she slammed the door behind her. Squinting into the bright light, Sakura took a deep breath then took off. She wanted to sprint there, she wanted to burst through that door and look him straight in the face. And so she did. She didn't want to think about it, but there was something nagging at the back of her mind, telling her not to do this, that if she did, things would never be the same again. If she didn't run there now, didn't get there as quickly as possible, that nagging would take over, and she'd never do it. Her muscles burned with the effort, telling her to stop, but she refused. She wouldn't let that happen, there was no way.

And then she was there. Her viridian eyes widened, taking in the drab building. It was unremarkable, very few windows, steel plated doors, it was all very gray. Once she was inside, she'd probably be the most colorful thing there. Sucking in a breath, she pushed the front door open and stepped inside. The first thing there was a guard. Taking her in, Sakura noticed the guard was a rather small woman, who had a face sweeter than Hinata's. She didn't look like she belonged in the depressing place.

"Ahem…" Sakura cleared her throat, rubbing at her arm. "I'm here to visit someone?"

The woman didn't look up from the book she held in her hands. "Name?"

"Haruno, Sakura."

Her eyes darted over to the clipboard beside her. "You don't seem to have an appointment."

Sakura followed her gaze and sighed. "I know, it was kind of spur of the moment…"

Finally the woman looked up at her, and she smiled. "Well, that's fine." She snapped the book shut. "Who would you like to see?"

"U-… Uchiha, Sasuke." She stammered slightly and gripped her arm.

She quirked a brow. "I see. Alright, go in through there, Aiko will show you to his cell."

Sakura nodded, ducking through the doorway. "Ano… Aiko?" She called, letting herself be known.

"Yes?" A tall woman appeared. She didn't look as sweet as the other girl did, but she looked friendly nonetheless. "Oh, here to see someone?" She nodded to herself, answering questions that hadn't been spoken. "Alright, follow me."

Aiko plucked a huge ring of keys from the wall and began to walk down a narrow hallway. Sakura watched and hesitated for a moment before sucking it up and following her. "You know who I'm seeing right?"

Aiko replied confidently, "Uchiha, Sasuke."

"Okay, just checking…" Sakura laughing nervously, and rubbed at her arm.

"The walls here have ears, my dear. And besides that, the hokage told us if a girl with pink hair showed up, to bring her to Uchiha." Her shoulders shrugged.

She walked at a fast pace, making Sakura almost have to jog to keep up, but after a few minutes, Aiko slowed and came to a lonely door at the end of a hall way.

"Now, I just want to warn you because you seem like a sweetheart, he's not very kind to anyone who comes to his cell." Aiko warned sternly, her steely gray eyes trained on Sakura. "If he does anything just holler, I'll come get you, or one of the guards around here will." Her mouth twisted into a smile, and then she turned to the door jamming a key into the lock. Turning it there was an audible click, and the door slowly swung open.

Sakura held her breath, then looked to Aiko, who now mysteriously was not there. Her brows arched, and her pulse raced. Unwillingly her legs moved her forward into the room, and her hand pushed the door back into it's shut position. Her eyes darted around the room looking everywhere but at the figure sitting at the window. She caught sight of a chair, and so she moved toward it. Her fingertips brushed along the back, and then she seated herself. In her lap, her fingers twiddled nervously, but then she shook her head and stopped, she wouldn't let him see her acting that way. Coughing, she straitened up.

"Sasuke." She started slowly, saying his name felt so foreign.

The figure at the window stiffened slightly at the sound of his name but then he slouched back down.

Her stared hard at his back. "You're finally back in the village." She crossed her legs, then uncrossed them.

"Hn." He answered, grunting at her.

Sakura breathed out, it was so like him to answer like that. "You're not happy obviously." She paused. "I understand why you wouldn't be."

From his spot, Sasuke almost laughed. She understood? Sure, sure she did.

"You can go ahead and laugh at me Sasuke. I know you want to. And I know you're thinking I have no idea what I'm talking about."

Once again, he stiffened. It was as if she was reading his mind. How had be become such an open book? He relaxed himself, but now he felt a little irritated. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but she beat him to it.

"But the fact is, I do know. I know perfectly well. You never wanted to come back. You wanted to go off into the sunset and become more powerful than anyone, then you wanted to kill Itachi," She saw him shudder in disgust at the name. "And after that who knows, maybe you wanted to start a family somewhere far away. Or maybe you wanted to die alone somewhere." Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "Either way you weren't going to come back; and that's why you're not happy. You're stuck in the place you never thought you'd see again."

Sasuke turned to her, his eyes narrowed into slits. "What do you want?"

His question caught her off guard. She hadn't expected to get any kind of word out of him. "Honestly? I don't want anything; I just wanted to be sure of something." Sakura laughed dryly. "It's sort of funny actually. I've been waiting to get you back in the village for a long time now, and now that you're back I couldn't really bring myself to believe it." She shrugged. "That's the only reason. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming or something."

She straightened up in the chair then got up onto her feet. "And now that that's done with, I'll leave you to your solitude." Sakura turned her back to him, stepping toward the door.

"_I'll leave you to your solitude."_ Sakura's last words burned in his ears. He'd heard that line before. Gritting his teeth, he got up from his seat and in a flash he had the pinkette pinned against the doorframe.

"Don't act so smug little girl." He snarled at her, pressing his palm hard into her shoulder. "I know you better than that. You probably really came here to try to see if your girly fantasies would come true. See if being back in this place had melted me back into the little kid you once knew, and see if I'd finally accept that pathetic confession you'd made to me so long ago." His lips curled into a smirk at the corner. "But I have news for you, Sakura, it's not happening, not now, not ever."

Sakura took his words in. At one point in time, what he was saying might have been true, but not now. She was too far past that.

Sasuke's eyes washed over her face, he noticed her lips quivering, and his smirk grew. It was so like her, he knew she would end up- …. Laughing? "What the fuck?"

Sakura's eyes shut as a peal of laughter escaped her lips. "Oh, hahaha, that's rich!" She gasped between laughs. "You know me? As if! I've changed Sasuke, I'm not some stupid kid anymore. I'm all grown up, I'm a big girl now." She shook her head. "Wow, haha. Baka!" She hissed at him, and she laughed again as his hand dropped away from her shoulder. She quieted long enough to see the dumbstruck look on his face, but then she started to laugh again. "Wow." Sakura pushed him away then she disappeared through the door.

Sasuke stumbled back a few steps, he jaw slack. He watched as she darted out of the room, then when she was finally out of sight he snapped back to reality. His brow crease and his mouth pressed together angrily. She hadn't really just talked to him that way had she? His fist curled up and he fumed quietly. Oh, she would defiantly get it when he was out of this place. He'd make her eat those words.

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**Things are starting to heat up! Wooah.**

**Anyway, I want at least TEN reviews. If I don't get that, you don't get a chapter. **


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